UK Stocks-Factors to watch on April 27

Reuters Staff

3 Min Read

April 27 (Reuters) - Britain's FTSE 100 index is seen opening 5
points higher on Friday, according to financial bookmakers.
** HSBC: A former HSBC Holdings Plc executive was sentenced to two
years in prison on Thursday after he was found guilty by a jury of defrauding
Cairn Energy Plc in a $3.5 billion currency trade in 2011.
** KAZ MINERALS: Kazakhstan-focused Kaz Minerals will scrap its
secondary listing in Hong Kong because of a lack of appetite from investors, the
company said on Thursday.
** CARPETRIGHT: Creditors and landlords of Carpetright approved the
struggling British retailer's restructuring plan at a meeting on Thursday.
** Royal Dutch Shell: Royal Dutch Shell said on Thursday it would
write down its reserves in the Groningen gas field, one of Europe's largest,
following the Dutch government's decision to phase out production by 2030.
* OIL: Oil prices edged lower on Friday, but Brent largely held its gains
from the previous session amid concerns that Iran may face renewed sanctions,
choking off supply.
* GOLD: Gold prices languished near a five-week low on Friday, set for a
decline of more than 1 percent this week, weighed down by a strong dollar, high
U.S. Treasury yields and easing geo-political concerns.
* The UK blue chip index closed 0.57 percent higher at 7421.43 points on
Thursday, underperforming most European peers, failing to join a global bounce
as a missed cash flow forecast from Royal Dutch Shell disappointed
investors and weighed heavily on the blue chip index.
* For more on the factors affecting European stocks, please click on: cpurl://apps.cp./cms/?pageId=livemarkets
* UK CORPORATE DIARY:
Travis Perkins Q1 2018 Trading Statement
Merlin Entertainments Q1 2018 Trading Statement
Royal Bank of Scotland Q1 2018 Interim Management Statement
Computacenter Q1 2018 Trading Statement
TODAY'S UK PAPERS
> Financial Times
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(Reporting by Justin George Varghese)